Ch. 252 - Noble Soul (6)

Chapter 252: Noble Soul (6)

Sayeran Orkan.

She was the eldest daughter of the Orkan Duchy, one of the two great pillars of the Adolevit Kingdom. 

From a young age, she was raised to be a master of magical warfare and inherited the ‘Arcane Martial Law Codex’ from Aslan Orkan, a war hero from long ago.

She was now in her third year at Stella Academy. As the heir to the Orkan family, she had firmly secured the top position among the third-year students. 

She had excelled in both practice and theory, earning an A+ in every subject, and was now awaiting graduation.

“Young Lady, Professor Magellan has contacted you to prepare for the 'Graduation Album.'”

In Sayeran’s personal office.

Although she wasn’t officially part of any club, the professors had arranged for her to have this grand office where she attended to the affairs of the Orkan family. 

Upon hearing the student speak to her, Sayeran shook her head and appeared slightly annoyed.

Most Stella students took their graduation photos alone. However, in rare cases, outstanding students were given the honor of taking their graduation photos with a professor. 

This opportunity often came with the chance to co-author a thesis or secure a job as a researcher at the Magic Tower—something many students aspired to.

But of course...

For someone of Sayeran’s caliber, it often worked the other way around—the professors end up begging the student for recognition, creating the ironic situation where the student grants the honor of taking the graduation photo together.

“Decline it.”

Sayeran spoke indifferently and lowered her gaze. 

She had already completed her university-level studies at the beginning of the semester and had finished her graduation thesis long ago. 

Currently, the family’s affairs had piled up, and she was handling them even while still attending school.

Graduation album? 

Ridiculous.

She had no intention of engaging in such a bothersome task. The moment she graduated, she planned to sever all ties with Stella Academy and return to the Orkan family to fully focus on her duties.

“Young Lady, the 'Purification Ritual' is scheduled soon. Shall I request a leave of absence on your behalf?”

The Purification Ritual.

This annual ceremony was jointly conducted by the Orkan family and the Adolevit royal family. 

It was initiated after the Morfran Forest was tainted by the dark magic of Grand Duke Isaac Morph ten years ago. 

Led by Princess Hong Shi-hwa, the ritual employed the Orkan family's purification techniques. 

Only a select few were allowed to participate, and all activities related to the ritual were kept under strict confidentiality.

So much so that mages involved in the ritual were even bound by one of the forbidden spells, ‘Sealed Magic.’

Though it was widely known that Sealed Magic was used in secret, the moment it became publicly known, it would lead to severe backlash, indicating just how critical the Purification Ritual was as a state secret.

Naturally, the students assisting Sayeran in her clubroom had never heard any details about the ritual. 

They were only aware that it existed, that the Young Lady was involved, and that their role was to assist her.

‘Purification Ritual…’

Sayeran  put down her pen for a moment and fell into deep thought.

This time, as she comes of age, it would be her first time participating in the Purification Ritual, but she already knew about its secrets from what her father had told her.

‘The true story behind the incident in Morfran Forest.’

Ten years ago, it was widely believed that the entire Morfran Forest was tainted by dark magic due to the rampage of Grand Duke Isaac Morph. 

However, that was a lie. 

In reality, the Adolevit family had forcibly resurrected the ‘White Tiger Fire Spirit,’ and Grand Duke Isaac Morph chose to turn himself into a dark mage in an attempt to stop it... 

This was the truth.

Sayeran  harbored no personal feelings. She didn’t have a strong sense of duty to eradicate dark mages to protect the magical world, nor did she have a firm belief that she must become a great mage. 

Her only goal, instilled in her, had always been to see Princess Hong Shi-hwa crowned. 

It was the sole objective that had driven her forward all this time, and she had never once thought of pursuing a goal of her own.

However, after hearing this story, Sayeran found herself somewhat confused for the first time.

‘Why did Princess Hong Si-Hwa have to do such a thing?’

She knew well that there were hidden secrets among the princesses of the Adolevit family, but without knowing the exact reasons, she couldn't understand the events of ten years ago.

What could they possibly hope to gain by resurrecting the White Tiger Fire Spirit?

And... Why did Grand Duke Morph sacrifice himself?

‘So many questions.’

As Sayeran  was jotting down her questions on a blank sheet of paper, a student approached, prompting her to look up.

“Young Lady, you have a visitor.”

“Send them away.”

“Well... It’s Princess Hong Bi-Yeon.”

No wonder her expression hadn't been good; an unwelcome guest had arrived. 

However, Sayeran calmly nodded and stood up. 

Even though Hong Bi-Yeon was an enemy of the princess she served, she was still a royal princess and could not be ignored.

Sayeran knew how to distinguish between public and private matters, and she was adept at hiding her personal feelings in official situations.

Click!

As her attendants opened the door, Sayeran stood there to greet Princess Hong Bi-Yeon. 

Unlike usual, Hong Bi-Yeon had come alone, and she immediately walked into the clubroom while glancing around the interior.

“Quite modest.”

“Thank you.”

“That wasn't a compliment.”

“I understand.”

“Sit down.”

Hong Bi-Yeon casually took the seat that was clearly Sayeran’s and crossed her legs.

She leaned back on the sofa with her arms crossed, but Sayeran quietly sat down in front of her. She was unfazed by the deliberate provocation.

“Shall I bring out some tea?”

“No need. I'll just say what I came here to say and leave. You're participating in the Purification Ritual this time, aren't you?”

“Yes, I am.”

“I'm going too. Just so you know.”

“... That's not something I can decide.”

This was troubling.

Though her expression remained unchanged, Hong Bi-Yeon could sense Sayeran’s discomfort.

“I know. But I'm going. As a princess of Adolevit, there's no reason I can't attend, right?”

Sayeran quietly nodded.

The reason Princess Hong Bi-Yeon was speaking directly to her was likely because Sayeran’s father was the chief overseer of the Purification Ritual this year. 

Unfortunately, Princess Hong Si-Hwa was unable to attend due to some pressing matters, leaving a vacancy in the ritual.

It would be difficult to prevent Hong Bi-Yeon’s interference.

'This is troublesome...'

Hong Bi-Yeon was in direct opposition to Hong Si-Hwa. The Morfran Forest was undoubtedly a weak point for Hong Si-Hwa. 

Revealing this to Hong Bi-Yeon would be like exposing a critical vulnerability.

'I have to stop her.'

But how?

Hong Bi-Yeon twisted her red lips slightly as if daring Sayeran to come up with an excuse.

'She already knows everything.'

The queen didn’t involve herself in this matter. It was something that Hong Bi-Yeon and Hong Si-Hwa must resolve on their own. 

No matter what Hong Si-Hwa did to try and hinder her, Hong Bi-Yeon had no intention of backing down.

And...

She planned to use the ‘Compass of Memories’ at the site. Only seven such ancient artifacts remained in the world. They allowed one to glimpse past events. 

However, due to its exorbitant cost of use, it was rarely employed by the royal family unless it was for something extremely important.

But Hong Bi-Yeon had the right to use the Compass of Memories once a year, and she intended to use that opportunity now.

'I need to find out what happened. From beginning to end.'

Her red eyes turned cold.

 —

Throughout the Aether World, World Trees that originated from the seed of the first World Tree, Heavenly Spirit Tree, had grown.

In the distant past, there were more than ten, but now only seven remained. 

The cradle of the Heavenly Spirit Tree was the homeland and root of the elves; the only place where a king could reside. 

In contrast, the elders lived in modest wooden houses they’d woven themselves near the other World Trees since no king resided there.

So, Baek Yu-Seol was honestly surprised.

In the game, he never visited an elf elder's house, so he never imagined it would be this humble.

“I'm sorry to welcome you to such an unremarkable place...”

The elder’s name was Suhaksan.

He bowed his head in apology as he invited Florin into his modest cabin, but she shook her head.

“No need to apologize. As an elf, I’m envious of such a natural home.”

Florin seemed genuinely sincere. Given her personality, she didn’t seem like someone who would prefer something overly flashy or extravagant.

“Would you like to sit here?”

Although the wooden chair looked hard and uncomfortable, Baek Yu-Seol was surprised to find that it actually felt quite comfortable.

‘What is this?’

‘Is it a luxury item pretending to be something cheap?’

Baek Yu-Seok glanced out the window. 

Despite calling it a simple cabin, it was situated at the highest point of the World Tree, and the roots outside were so securely spread that it would be nearly impossible for anyone to infiltrate. 

Moreover, with magical warriors standing guard, it definitely felt like the residence of someone very important.

“So... Can you tell me exactly what happened?”

At Florin’s question, Elder Suhaksan sighed deeply and bowed his head.

“The first discovery was ten days ago.”

The orchard of the Third World Tree was where fruits grew from it. 

Since the entire city was made of wood, people could enjoy every type of fruit found anywhere in the world. 

However, from a certain day, the fruits began to stop growing.

To find out the reason, a group of garden-keeping mages ventured to the roots of the World Tree, and what they discovered was shocking.

“The roots of the World Tree... were being corrupted by dark magic.”

“That’s impossible...”

“We tried everything we could to resolve it. We employed every method available, but nothing worked.”

Elves, who relied on spirits and followers, had always been vulnerable to dark magic. 

To protect themselves, they had especially advanced purification techniques—far superior to human methods. 

They succeeded in removing the dark magic from the roots using powerful purification spells, but the problem arose the next day.

“We returned the next day to check for any remaining dark magic... But somehow, in just one day, the roots were once again corrupted.”

So they thought it must be that someone was sneaking in at night to infuse the roots with dark magic.

They stationed guards, expecting an intruder... But it was no use.

“There was no intruder.”

No matter how powerful their purification spells; no matter how thoroughly they cleansed the dark magic, the next day, the Heavenly Tree would be corrupted again. 

The elders, including Suhaksan, all witnessed this situation firsthand, and there was no doubt about what was happening.

“This has continued for ten days now. We were at our wit’s end, thinking there was no solution, but when Your Majesty arrived, we finally felt some relief.”

“Ah...”

Florin’s expression became one of bewilderment.

It seemed they had misunderstood, thinking that Florin had noticed the contamination of the Third World Tree and had come to resolve it. 

After all, she was the only High Elf capable of directly communicating with the Heavenly Spirit Tree.

But in reality, she had come without any knowledge of the situation. After all, no matter how powerful Florin was, it was impossible for her to communicate with a distant Heavenly Tree.

“I’ll... try to speak with the Third World Tree.”

“Ah! Your Majesty’s intervention gives us great hope.”

Listening quietly to their conversation, Baek Yu-Seol sighed. 

While it was natural for Florin to attempt communication with Third World Tree, he didn’t think it would be of any use.

After all, the fundamental cause wasn’t related to that.

‘This... It really must be Leafanel who’s the cause, right?’

Baek Yu-Seol hadn’t expected the episode to advance this far so quickly, and he hadn’t even considered the possibility, but by now, it was impossible not to notice.

An episode scheduled to occur one or two years from now, ‘The Dark Spirit,’ had advanced forward by several stages and was now happening before him. 

It was something that would typically be encountered by extremely high-level players.

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